Book Review No 20: QF32 by Richard de Crespigny

Having flown quite a lot, I wouldn't consider myself a nervous flyer. However I must also admit that I don't like to dwell too much on how a plane actually stays up in the air when I'm in one! This book is all about a plane passenger's worst nightmare - an ominous loud "bang" and looking out the window to see a large part of the aircraft missing as well as leaking fuel and shrapnel holes in the wing.

Flight QF32 from Singapore to Sydney - part of the Kangaroo Route many Australians have travelled on - had just taken off in November 2010 when the unthinkable happened - a loud explosion followed by numerous alarms and warnings in the cockpit. It shouldn't have happened, after all this was one of the newest, most technically advanced aircraft in the world, the Airbus A380. QF32 had the potential to be one of the worst air disasters in history. The fact that the plane did in fact make a safe landing without any injuries to passengers or crew can attributed to the amazing teamwork of an experienced crew, captained by veteran Qantas pilot Richard de Crespigny. QF32 is his story.

I enjoyed reading about Richard's early life, including his childhood fascination with taking things apart and seeing how they worked. It really gave an insight into the kind of person he is and what led him to becoming a pilot. Trained in the RAAF, Richard later joined Qantas, as well as maintaining a continuing interest in computers and related technology. Luckily for Qantas and all the passengers on board QF32 that day, Richard is the kind of pilot who goes beyond knowing just what he “has” to know to do his job. Meticulous and thorough, throughout his career he has always gone the extra mile in gaining a complete understanding of how each particular aircraft works as well as completing extensive flight training.

Although there is a lot of technical information in this book, it is explained in simple terms to help a layman understand what makes a plane fly and just how dire an emergency QF32 was. Richard tells the story step by step, from the first bang until the plane was safely on the ground (and afterwards). I was amazed at how the crew managed to maintain cool heads throughout the emergency, pooling their knowledge to work out a plan that got everybody back on the ground in one piece. An unprecedented event on so many levels, the crew had to come up with new solutions as they faced issues that had never occurred in flight before. Sometimes they just worked on instinct, rejecting what the aircrafts own automated systems suggested they do – and by doing so averted a disaster too scary to think about. Although under enormous stress, nobody panicked, channelling their energy towards the problems at hand instead. I found it really interesting that the emergency didn’t end once they landed (an amazing feat in itself), as the combination of leaking fuel and hot brakes was an extremely volatile mix. But, once again, amazing luck and the actions of the crew averted that potential disaster as well.

It was very interesting to hear that Captain de Crespigny suffered post-traumatic stress disorder after the flight and it was several months before he was able to fly again. That was something I had not heard anywhere else.

The ultimate “against all odds” story, QF32 is a fascinating, nail-biting read that will give you a new appreciation for the amazing job pilots do, as well as make you very proud of our national airline. I’m not sure I’d recommend it as one to read one a long haul flight though!